Much of the air pollution that damages human health and the environment today is the result of human activities. But natural sources also emit air pollutants, contributing to the exposure of European citizens and ecosystems to bad air quality  and potentially undermining EU Member State efforts to meet the air quality standards set out in EU legislation.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) consists of the
capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from power plants
and/or CO2-intensive industries such as refineries,
cement, iron and steel, its subsequent transport
to a storage site, and finally its injection into a
suitable underground geological formation for the
purposes of permanent storage. It is considered to
be one of the medium term 'bridging technologies'
in the portfolio of available mitigation actions for
stabilising concentrations of atmospheric CO2, the
main greenhouse gas (GHG).

‘Energy combustion’ includes all energy-related emissions minus fugitives the graph shows the emissions of PM10 and PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter of 10 μm or less, emitted directly into the atmosphere)

In the air quality directive (2008/EC/50), the EU has set a target value for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) for the protection of human health: the PM2.5 annual mean value may not exceed 25 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3).